The Days Beside You
by kokonutsu
Summary: .Hiatus. After the abduction of Kagome and Tetsuiga, all hope seems shattered for our battered half demon. On the other hand, everything's just beginning to fall in place for his brother.
1. Kidnapped!

Kidnapped

A/N on the bottom!

Disclaimers: Inu and gang don't belong to me.

English translations for Japanese terms:

Youkai-demon

Hanyou-half demon

And Tetsuiga is the powerful sword, also known as the steel cleaving fang.

Tensuiga is another powerful sword although not in strength it holds the power to save a hundred lives.

*~*~*~*

Sesshomaru stepped into the poor excuse of a shelter. He was near the western borders when he picked up his brother's scent, he being accompanied by that wretch of a woman. However, today his brother smelled even more odorous than usual but there was no mistaking the stench that came off both of them, the disgusting lowly creatures. A mistake mother nature obviously made. In a world of demons there was no room for weakness or vulnerability.

His cold golden eyes searched the misshapen room, a fire lit in the middle where his brother and that girl rested. Interesting they seem to be ready to copulate. He raised an eyebrow at his brother's position with the wench. Inu Yasha had put himself in front of the girl, arm extended as if to protect her. Interesting, he wanted to shield her from danger, but no matter it was all futile against Sesshomaru. 

"Inu Yasha, have I interrupted an intimate moment between you and your woman?" Sesshomaru goaded his brother, like a cat playing with it's meal. A reddening of Inu Yasha's cheeks were seen, 'the filth obviously hasn't bedded her yet, to even blush at such a trivial thing.' He mused.

*~*~*

"Kagome get behind me." I say as I hear the readying footsteps approach.

"Why? What's wrong Inu Yasha?" 

"Never mind, He's here." I say as the door blasted open, in stepped my brother, my enemy the one who dug his hand through my stomach, marred my face countless times and even gored my eye out once ( You can probably tell that we're pretty close). 

I suddenly felt a tug at my arm, and I sigh , Kagome was now safely behind me, well, as safe as you can get with Sesshomaru in the picture.

The bastard only stared at us, he didn't say a word, and no emotions played upon his face. I knew what he wanted, what he always came for. The legendary sword, my sword, Tetsuiga, the one sword which could slay a hundred demons in a swing. He had come for the power of the fang, claiming his other sword useless and obsolete.

His gaze never left us, the way he stared at Kagome made me shiver, something was going through that sick mind of his, and whatever it was I didn't want to know. 

He spoke coldly: "Inu Yasha, have I have interrupted an intimate moment between you and your woman?" I look around to see what he meant. And then I saw that Kagome and I were in a very embarrassing position, let's just say we were very close at the moment.

I felt my cheeks glow warm. "What do you want Sesshomaru, Tetsuiga's mine and I'm never gonna give it up ." I growled, adrenaline was pumping through my veins, my instincts were kicking in, fight or flight. My choice, although it wasn't very wise fighting with Kagome so close to the potential battle ground.

*~*~*~*

"If you just handed Tetsuiga over peacefully, then you wouldn't have to die, at least not as painfully." Sesshomaru cracked his knuckles, he should've guessed that the fool wouldn't give up without a fight. Venom traveled from his poison sac to his claws. The demon markings on his hand grew larger, and the poison in his hands were so full that it dripped off his fingers.

Now his brother stood up and reaching for the precious sword at his side, and unsheathed it. But the sword did not transform. Sesshomaru paused a second and then recalled once hearing from someone that a hanyou's would lose their powers once a month, either when the moon was full or when it shifted. Tonight's moon had begun a new phase. A cruel smile crept onto his face, his brother was powerless against him. He could now practically smell the 'human' coming from him.

"What's the matter Inu Yasha, are you not going to transform Tetsuiga and fight? Or are you afraid or possibly…human." He inwardly relished the shocked look on Inu Yasha's face when he spat out the word.

*~*~*~*

How did he know? I myself had forgotten about the day of my weakness when I turned into a human. The Tetsuiga could not reactivate with just my human blood, it needed the blood of a demon too. 

Whatever, I still have my claws and my fangs. I know I can't beat him with that alone but fuck what other options did I have? This would be like a kamikaze mission I was going to be killed for sure. But wait! Kagome's arrows! She had brought it with her while crossing the snow, it was that which slowed her down. I look from Sesshomaru to her and then nodded to the arrows when I caught her eye. She nodded in response, she had understood.

*~*~*

"Way ahead of you dog boy." Kagome said letting go of Inu Yasha's arm. Inu Yasha was to distract his brother and I was to get my weapons. The only problem was that my weapons were right next to where Sesshomaru was. For god's sake his whole hand started glowing green a few seconds ago, and some kind of liquid dripping off his claws burned a hole into the ground, to approach him would mean death.

"Kagome hurry up." Easy for him to say, he didn't have to get close to that killer.

"Are you attempting to distract me?" Sesshomaru rushed at Inu Yasha, his movements were a blur and in less than a second Inu Yasha was knocked onto the floor.

Ok, maybe her task was a bit easier than his. She stealthily crawled her way across the room, laying her body flat against the creaking floor. He would be sure to hear her if she was this noisy. Only a few more feet and she would reach her goal. And….Yes! She got it. Taking her bow in hand she positioned herself and the arrow and aimed carefully, she needed it to hit.

"My, my, Inu Yasha you're as slow as ever." said Sesshomaru slugging his brother in the face. Inu Yasha flew off into the air and with a sickening crack slammed into the wall. He slid limply down onto the floor with blood trailing after his head. His head received the most damage from that injury. Blood was spilling from an open wound on his head, staining his white hair a shockingly gruesome color. The blood flowed freely creating a puddle around him. 

His vision was getting blurry, and the face of his opponent was going in and out of focus, who was it? Sesshomaru, Naraku or Kikyou? He couldn't tell, his eyes didn't seem to work anymore and his nose, he only smelled the blood that was coming from him. Was he injured? 'Funny, I don't feel any pain.' He tried to laugh but only blood seemed to spill from his mouth.

"Inu Yasha!" He heard someone calling his name, her voice, it sounded familiar. 'But I couldn't see her, I couldn't smell her, this person who for some reason seemed to wipe the sleep away from my eyes. I lift my head up slightly revived, and everything came into focus; Kagome was standing behind Sesshomaru with her bow and arrow raised, and Sesshomaru didn't seem to notice because he was just standing there. Even in a situation like this, the firm and worried expression on Kagome's face shocked me. She looked so much like Kikyou…

"Fwishhhhh" Kagome released her arrow and it flew straight at Sesshomaru. The arrow which could purify anything, even Naraku's dark miasma. C'mon, C'mon! It had to hit, Inu Yasha was already losing so much blood, and if it missed, well she didn't have another chance, that was the last of the arrows.

Sesshomaru had heard it, he had even seen the girl pick up her silly weapon, but he allowed it, it was all futile, their efforts, their struggles. The arrow whistled as it flew at him and the sound annoyed him, she annoyed him. Without turning around he simply plucked the arrow out of the air. 

"Too slow human." he said tossing the arrow aside. He turned to face her and began to walk towards the girl, he saw her eyes grow wide with shock. Sweat mingled in with her scent. But her eyes still showed defiance, and something else. She was not cowering in fright nor begging for mercy, she was not afraid of him and it angered him.

In a flash he was right next to her, his claws ran across her neck and stopped where an artery was. He smirked, she was trembling, her fear was sparked and accumulating, he heard her quickened heartbeat and labored breathing, she was scared.

"Get away from her." Rasped the voice of Inu Yasha, somehow he had gotten up and using his sword as support managed to stand up. But it was obvious that he could not fight anymore, he left a bloody mess behind him where he treaded.

The girl was crying, he smelled the salty liquid forming in her eyes before it had actually came out, tears. 

"How much would it hurt you Inu Yasha, if I were to kill your woman right here in front of you? And for you to be helpless, a bystander of her death, unable to save her. Tell me, how much would it hurt you?" He said pressing his claws against her throat. A trickle of blood came out where his claws pierced the skin.

"Get the fuck away from her!" Inu Yasha yelled, this time he stood up straight and unsheathed Tetsuiga, even if it couldn't transform, it could still cut. And he would die fighting the bastard before letting Kagome get killed. He didn't want to see another woman die because of him. 

Sesshomaru expressionlessly took his hand away from Kagome's throat and licked his claws, tasting her blood. He wasn't here to kill either of them really, he couldn't. If he had, then Tetsuiga would never accept him as it's master.

After a moment of tasting and thinking he finally proclaimed "Inu Yasha, she's delicious." He smirked at his brother, enjoying the enraged expression on his face, it was amusing.

Inu Yasha stood there for a moment, seething with anger, his blood boiled. "You'll die for that Sesshomaru." Inu Yasha said. His lower lip was bleeding because he had bitten it too hard trying not to lose control. He staggered forward more determined than ever but he abruptly stopped when Sesshomaru placed his claws on Kagome's throat once more.

"Come any closer and she dies." He said, he put his other hand on her waist, tightening his hold on her.

Kagome let out a sharp gasp, she had been holding her breath when the demon put his hands on her nearly beheading her, and now he was squeezing the bejesus out of her.

"She has nothing to do with this, if you want the Tetsuiga I'll give it to you, just let her go." Inu Yasha said desperately. He was willing to give his father's heirloom in exchange for Kagome's life.

"Throw the sword here."

Using what little strength he had, Inu Yasha tossed the sword to Sesshomaru, who caught it with his other arm. Smoke came out from the sword, Tetsuiga's barrier was blocking Sesshomaru from holding it. 

'So dizzy, I feel so sleepy. Inu Yasha, save me.' Kagome closed her tired eyes.

As much as the sword burned his hand, Sesshomaru withstood the pain long enough to tie the sword to his obi therefore not having the barrier of the sword directly affect him. 

"Now give me Kagome." Inu Yasha said glaring at his brother.

Unbeknownst to Inu Yasha, Sesshomaru was emitting a toxic gas from his claws right when he had caught his hostage. The girl just recently passed out. But because Inu Yasha was half demon the poison didn't get to him as quickly.

"I said give her to me!" Inu Yasha yelled, he tried to move but only collapsed onto the ground in pain, not from his head but something within his body. 

"What did you do to me you bastard?!" Inu Yasha screamed in rage.

"I never agreed to hand the girl over." Sesshomaru said stoically, more vapors escaped from his claws, creating something similar to a smokescreen. Taking advantage of this distraction he took the girl with him and escaped.

Inu Yasha covered his nose with his hands, for a second there he felt like he was suffocating amongst the fumes. When the smoke cleared he uncovered his nose but didn't dare breathe, the vapors were only starting to disperse. He could still see though and what he didn't see shocked him most: Kagome and his brother had both vanished, leaving only the hole in the wooden ceiling as a reminder that they were ever there at all.

~*~*~*~*~

I've decided to rewrite every chapter, but I don't think I will delete the story itself, just delete the chapters that hasn't been renovated yet. I know incredibly stupid of me seeing that I didn't even finish this story yet. I don't expect to much nice or any reviews at all. But hey this would change the story, a read is recommended. 

~Kokonutsu bows her head in apology.


	2. Left Hopeless

An Unlikely Guest  
  
Disclaimer: Inu Yasha and co is not mine.  
  
Something you should know before reading:  
  
Tetsuiga is a very powerful sword capable of destroying a hundred demons in one swing.  
  
Youkai is a demon.  
  
Hanyou is a half demon.

Miko is a priestess.

How could he have let Naraku escape? He was so close to killing the evil bastard too. Nevertheless, no, right when he was ready to use Tetsuiga's ultimate attack; kaze no kizu, Naraku escaped, without even leaving a trace behind.  
  
Now Miroku, Sango, and Shippo were all gone, wherever they flew off to... Alas, they were not so lucky and were knocked away by Naraku's strength during the first half of the battle.  
  
At least Kagome was safe. He had found her lying on the ground not too far away from himself; she was unconscious. She was not moving when he found her but his sharp ears heard the faint beatings of her heart.  
  
He tried waking her up by talking to her, but to no avail. Finally losing patience, he grabbed her shoulders and shook her. Most likely, not the smartest thing to do, but at least she woke up, albeit screaming 'pervert' and striking out. He held his face in horror as Kagome, realizing that she was in no immediate danger, yawned and stretched.  
  
She just then noticed him.  
  
"Oh, Inu Yasha, where are we? The last thing I remembered was Naraku tailing off and leaving us with a smoky surprise. Then I woke up and here I am. Where are the others? Are they alright?" Kagome said rubbing her eyes.  
  
Removing his hand from his stinging cheek, he answered (though still a little piqued): "I don't know where in hell they are, and I don't know where we are either, but I do know that there's a shelter not too far away from here." He finished, walking off.  
  
He heard a bit of shuffling behind him and a rustling of leaves.  
  
"Well, are you coming or not? We have to get there before night fall!" He was still obviously indignant to the oblivious girl."Ok, just needed to find some of my stuff. By the way, how'd you get that red hand mark on your face?" Kagome asked strapping on her backpack.  
  
"......"  
  
After a short while of walking, and muttering, it began to snow and Kagome fell behind even further even though he was carrying her pack.  
  
A wind went past them and he suddenly realized how much colder it became. Of course, he wasn't affected too much by the chill being half demon and all but Kagome on the other hand was human, would she freeze in this temperature? He would have to get her to some shelter soon but somehow it was further than he had calculated.  
  
"Achoo!" He whipped his head around in alarm, was she in danger?  
  
"Are you alright?" He asked concerned.  
  
"I'm fine, it's just a little cold," Kagome said rubbing her hands together for warmth. The school uniform she often wore to his time provided little shield from the snow and wind.  
  
"We're almost there, its just another 20 yards or so. We can make it before it gets dark." He could barely see the little hut, but the very faint smell of humans told him that the shelter had been empty for quite a while.  
  
"Let's go." He repeated, slowing his pace a little. Every step seemed to drag her deeper into the snow, Kagome tried to walk, but her legs were just so tired; she collapsed. Sighing, Inu Yasha adjusted the backpack, picked her up, and resumed the short but arduous journey. 

"Hey, I can walk by myself!" She protested but stayed put.  
  
"We would get there faster if I carried you." He retorted, and it was true. She realized this and said no more. The silence that followed was awkward and irritating for him, embarrassing and slightly humiliating for Kagome, but Inu Yasha spoke first.  
  
"Kagome, do you still have the shards of the jewel?" He quickly regretted what he said as soon as it came out of his mouth. In fact, he did not really care too much about the jewel, (well maybe he did), but it was Kagome that he worried about the most. Somehow, his idiotic mouth opened before his mind processed the thoughts.  
  
She did not respond and he was worried for a moment that she was going to say _the_ word again but she did not.  
  
He realized how long it had been since he carried Kagome on his back, but in fact, it was very long at all, and how long it had been since they were alone together.  
  
He inhaled her scent, and sighed, content. She smelled so nice, even when she was dirty from fighting demons or surrounded by Naraku's puppet dolls, her scent still stayed pure and untainted, just like herself. He wanted to have her near him forever or just to have the moment last, but he began to fret over the fact that she still has not said anything. He was sure she could hear him; human ears were not so poor. Therefore, he tried again.  
  
"Kagome?" Upon concentrating, he noticed that her heartbeat had adapted to an erythematic pace, and some sort of snort coming from her nose. He turned his head around, only to find her asleep...  
  
BAM "Anybody home?" He 'asked' whilst kicking the door off its hinges; again, probably not one of the smartest things to do. As he stepped into the hut, a viscous storm of dust attacked. He covered his nose with one hand and with the other tried to disburse the troublesome particles. He then picked up the door to set it back in place.  
  
He was right; indeed no one has been living here, or any other living matter to be precise. Nothing but dust, thought Inu Yasha. The previous owners seemed to have left in a hurry; a few logs were abandoned near the entrance of the door.  
  
He set the still sleeping Kagome gently down on the floor. He touched her face, not surprised that she was still cold. He took off his kimono and placed it over her. 'I should start a fire.'  
  
After placing the logs in the hearth, he went to dig in Kagome's backpack; maybe she had one of her fire lighting sticks in there.  
  
"Aha!" There it was the skinny wooden sticks that she called 'matches'. He flicked one across his hand and like magic, the thing lit up. 'Heh, Kagome made this seem so hard'  
  
"AH!" He had held it a second too long, the damned thing burned his finger, treacherous little things... He threw the match into the hearth and the little flame slowly matured into a fire.  
  
He moved her closer to the fire and wrapped his clothing tightly around her.  
  
Now with Kagome warm and asleep, he didn't really have anything else to do. The only thing interesting about the whole room was the fire. Blue, and crimson, its dancing flames taunted and reminded him of that fateful day.  
  
Flashback (The story shall now be in first person perspective.)  
  
"Too bad guys, I'll be taking the Shikon no tama!" Laughing evilly of course, I steal the precious jewel and leave the village burning to the ground. The smoke and smell of death exciting me even further, I flew at top speed toward the forest where my escape route would lay.  
  
With this, I can become a real demon. Nothing else crossed my mind; I was finally getting what I had wished for all my life, no more being made fun of because I was only half. I was so ecstatic that I didn't even notice the arrow heading for my heart.  
  
WHUMP! the next thing I knew, I was pinned to the damned god tree, of all the places...that was where I met her. I accidentally drop the Shikon no tama, and I try to catch it before it hits the ground but it's too late I can't move anymore. I was pinned to the tree. I scan the darkening landscape for the assaulter and lo and behold, it was _her_.  
  
A single woman stood amidst the destruction behind her, she smelled heavily of blood and she was dying...  
  
"Kikyou...." The last thing I saw before my eyes closed was the angry and distorted face of her, the one who shot me, the one who killed me, and the one who loved me.  
  
Flashback ends  
  
Now she's dead because of me.  
  
"Inu Yasha?" I felt the touch of her hands on my shoulder, was it Kikyo?

No, now that I had my eyes open, and my nose unclogged, I realized that it was the sweet scent of Kagome I breathing in and her brown eyes that I was suddenly staring into.

"What do you want?" I didn't mean to sound so cold, but it hurts too much to look at her right now. 

"Were you thinking of Kikyo again...?" By the gods, she must be some sort of seer or one of those people who could read minds. Maybe I shouldn't lie this time then.  
  
"What makes you think that?"  
  
She did not say anything for a while and just stared at me with those accusing, transfixing eyes; it was as if she was probing my head. I quickly turned away.  
  
I still felt her eyes drilling holes at my back, yet I still did not respond. I strained my ears for what she said next.  
  
"Were you...?"

I finally gave up pretending to be deaf and looked at her trembling shoulders. Oh god, I didn't mean to make her cry! What is with humans and crying!  
  
I open my mouth to answer her but just then some other idiot knocks down the door. Not my fault this time and I am not going to put that piece of junk back up again...  
  
Silhouetted against the doorway, gleamed the same silver hair and the pair of familiar gold eyes.  
  
Maybe something was wrong with my nose, how could I not sniff out that murdering psycho earlier? He's come to pay me a visit, that stupid Sesshomaru.


	3. Alone

Alone  
  
   
  
Yay, summers almost here and the teachers have finally stopped giving us homework oh joy of all joys. I have not updated for ages reasons are laziness and lack of sleep, it took me almost a month to write this so I hope it isn't going to be too disappointing. Now that I'm done ranting about that stupid tournament, let's get on with our lives.  
  
In loving memory of Leslie Cheung   
  
Now…Glad you got this far so read on!   
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Inu Yasha and Co. they are the property of Rumiko Takahashi and only this story belongs to me. : D  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
He was staggering alone in the snow. The tiny ice crystals fell above him, showing off their little statures to him just before falling out of sight to become one with the ground. Through the intensifying cold he walked, using only his sheath as support. Droplets of blood trailed behind him like faithful soldiers.  
  
Either from the loss of blood or the cold, his golden eyes glazed and clouded over soon it transformed from honey yellow to a light shade of midnight purple. As if ink had spilled upon his head, his silky white hair was in the process of changing color. The roots of his hair turned black, as the rest of his mane.   
  
Amusingly enough his furry animal ears contracted back into his head and human ears replaced them on both sides of his face. He felt a sudden jolt in his fingers and saw that they too were changing. The sharp claws he once used to rip his opponents apart with had now become useless stubby human fingernails.  
  
Then he felt the pain. Dots exploded in his mind, sadness, anger, and fear, all these emotions rammed into him causing him to crumble onto the soft mound of snow. He clenched his head in agony not being able to stand the pain; he heaped piles of snow onto his now burning head. The white powder did little good but it did numb the throb.  
  
Only one person came to thought during through the excruciating pain, it was she. She had been crying, crying for him, tears alone reserved in her soul released upon seeing his mangled body fall, with it his confidence and pride. He did not deserve her kindness, her pity; he after all was not able to save her from the hell and torture she would endure within his brother's care.   
  
  
  
More snow fell from the darkened sky, and even more snow fell upon his wrecked body covering him in a thick blanket of cold. Just as it seemed like the end, he shook the heavy snow off his back and with great effort opened his tired eyes. No, he would rescue her; he could not, would not die now, if he did, who would save Kagome from her fate?  
  
He took a deep breath and somewhere in the distance saw her kind face smiling at him, her eyes sparkled as bright as day and her scent calm and unwinding. He could almost hear her sweet voice whispering in his ear, the soft touch of her hands on his face …  
  
"Kagome" He moaned, and rubbed his eyes, the image of her tantalizing body fluttered away. With his stiffened resolve, he once more staggered forward, crawling along the icy ground breathing in deeply and gasping for breath. The cold wind whisked through him, the never ceasing and never relenting cascade of snow also continued to fall from the black sky.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Somewhere far away a person with silver hair flew in the night sky, his many tails curled beneath his feet and floated towards the west. With him he carried two swords and one woman dressed in a short and revealing garment, remarkably she was the strangest cargo yet. His golden eyes pierced the darkness seeing everything beneath him, and his fine nose detected creatures of all sorts from miles away. He truly was in his prime, this Sesshomaru, also deemed the cold-hearted demon without a soul.  
  
How cowardly of him to stoop so low as to kidnap a human girl and to bully his brother for the sacred sword. He would have been disgusted with himself if he had not needed the girl.  
  
However, he did have the Tetsuiga and without the girl and his companions, his half-bred brother would be helpless and hopefully unable to catch up with him. He smiled grimly, his human brother now.  
  
It started to snow, and a snowflake landed upon his nose causing him to sneeze in irritation.  
  
  
  
The wind suddenly changed course and blew at him with tremendous force, almost knocking him away. In that second, he lost grip on the girl and she fell. One of his tails uncurled up and grabbed her ankle just in time. Her skirt flipped and revealed to him her scrawny legs, her arms hung off limply; she dangled there like a lifeless puppet.   
  
He used his tail to pull her back up into 'safety' and then flung her over his left shoulder very much treating her as a rag if not something more. He continued moving at a faster pace, a blizzard would be forming soon.   
  
Suddenly he felt someone pulling on his tail. He jerked his head around and saw that the soiled human was hugging his tail around her body, dirtying him.   
  
"Let go." He calmly said expecting the girl to wake up instantly and obey; he was too used to Jaken and the other demons to have thought otherwise. It started snowing heavier, and seconds passed before he realized that she was still unconscious and clutching his tail painfully.  
  
"Troublesome wench." He remarked as he eyed her back rising up and down with each gulp of air she took in. He did not want to repeat himself, nor did he usually have to. As well, actions always did speak louder than words...  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
She sighed in content; she had just passed another math test with excellence. The quadratic equations did not even seem remotely hard, and she even had all the extra credit questions correctly done. Even more incredible her teacher proclaimed that she had the highest score in the class. Everyone stood up and patted her on the back while she grinned with a goofy smile on her face.  
  
As soon as the bell rang, she hopped on her bike and tore home excited to tell her mother and grandfather about the news. When she reached the front of her house, well more like shrine, she ran inside into the living room but found no one there, just when she had a perfect on her test paper too!  
  
She stared at her old desk, her new lamp and the picture of her family that was propped under the light, then her gaze turned to the stuffed animals on her bed. She could always take a nap first, Inu Yasha wouldn't be here for a while and she didn't have any more homework or test's to study for. She took off her shoes, stomped up into her room, threw her backpack to the floor, and flung herself into her soft familiar bed squealing with delight.  
  
She closed her eyes; it had been a long time since she had anything pleasant to sleep on, the Sengoku Jidai didn't exactly have spring mattresses lying around. Sighing in content, she snuggled into her pillow. Good grades, no Inu Yasha demanding her to come back looking for more jewel shards, and a soft bed, life was indeed perfect.  
  
Yet somehow, something nagged at her in the back of her mind, an annoying little voice was talking to her. She couldn't really make out what it was saying but it sounded vaguely like Yoglo... She ignored it and shut her eyes trying to block out the ever-growing louder voice but a sudden sharp pain in her head jerked her awake; it felt like her scalp was on fire.   
  
She opened her eyes and saw a familiar face with purple markings on both sides of the cheeks and a crescent moon on the forehead. She gasped in surprise the proximity between the two were quite close you see, and she remembered what happened last time when someone had gotten this close to him, the best thing to do was to move away.  
  
She once again felt as if someone were driving needles through her head. Her tearing eyes turned from his face to his hand, which was gripping her hair.   
  
"It does not bode well to disobey me." He said yanking her hair again and causing her head to snap back in the process.   
  
She clenched her teeth; she would not give this monster any satisfaction in hearing her scream. "What do you want?" She said painfully, slowly biting each word out.   
  
He looked at her for a moment and simply let go. His sudden change of behavior was what made him such a deadly opponent; you never knew what he would be thinking.   
  
She shivered suddenly realizing how cold it was, she could literally see her breath rising in puffs.   
  
"Where are you taking me?" She asked rubbing her hands along her arms.  
  
He made no attempt to reply, in fact in seemed as if he had not heard her question at all.  
  
Forget it. Her eyes wandered from his back to the long sticklike thing hanging off right below his armor plate.  
  
"He-Hey isn't that… Tetsuiga?" She stared goggled eyed at the sword that legitimately belonged to Inu Yasha, what was Sesshomaru doing with his brother's sword?  
  
He finally spoke although giving her no recognition whatsoever; it was as if he were speaking to himself. "So what if it is."  
  
She tore her eyes away from the hilt of the blade with mounting apprehension, knowing Inu Yasha, he would never hand over the Tetsuiga willingly he guarded his possessions as if it were his life. But that would mean that Sesshomaru…  
  
"What did you do to him?!" She cried out hysterically.   
  
"What would you think I did to him?" He replied raising his eyebrow, giving her   
  
the grace of acknowledgement.   
  
It was like someone had shocked her with an electric prod; she shuddered and then became quiet for a moment the realization of what might have happened sunk in. He killed him, his own brother, and all for a sword…  
  
She let out an animalistic cry that sliced through the air, if Inu Yasha was gone, she did not have a reason to live either.  
  
The horrifying noise the human made caught Sesshomaru completely off guard, along with the strong current of wind that blew into them, and in those two moments of confusion, he accidentally lost his hold on the girl and she fell.   
  
On second thought, she didn't want to die just yet. She screamed, the pale snow that drifted beside her seemed to mock her as they safely floated in the air. She no longer cared about the biting wind or the bitter cold instead; she focused on the ground, which seemed to loom in frighteningly close.   
  
Only a few miles away, now two miles, the tiny specks she saw at first now resembled villages and the green dots turned out to be the trees.   
  
The square shaped things were barns.  
  
She was fifty feet away from the ground now…  
  
'This is it' She closed her eyes for impact, readying herself for oblivion and darkness. Her blood would spill over the white-white snow and seep into its soil.  
  
Tears formed in her eyes, she wouldn't even get to say goodbye to Inu Yasha. She would never see his face again. Souta, mama, grandpa, they would never know that she died; they would forever be waiting for her return, not knowing whether to keep hope or mourn for her. She closed her eyes. "Goodbye"   
  
However, she felt nothing, and when she opened her eyes, she was surprised to find that instead of hitting the ground she was levitating! Someone had caught onto her sleeve and was now pulling her back up into the air.  
  
"I did not kill him." Her savior said his face blank and expressionless.  
  
"Is he….?"  
  
"He is alive." He said giving her one last glance before turning away.  
  
Relief flooded her heart, and tears once again spilled from her eyes, this time it   
  
was tears of joy. He was alive. He was alive.   
  
End chapter 3  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
I think I'm done here, as you can see a lot of things have changed between the original story and the new one, for one, its longer, more detailed and feelings and perspectives are described, at least I try to have it that way, and there is more going in the chapters. I realized my original mistakes that I have made and attempted to correct them, Sesshomaru isn't a man of many words, Kagome isn't just some stupid girl there to be kidnapped, and Inu Yasha wouldn't be a person to give up. Just taking this long to realize these things makes me ponder on how well of a writer I really am, if I can even call myself that. Thank you all for reading, and I also thank those who have taken their time to reread this story. I appreciate this very much 


	4. Captive

**Captive**

**Author's Note:**

Ahahaha, and ha, I have finally completed this chapter, and as happy as I should be, I shouldn't, I should be guilty for hibernating for so long. Shame on me, shame, well, now that that's done with, please kindly leave a review after reading, and I hope I have atoned for my misdeed with this chapter.

I think I'll also give the whole Stoic Sesshomaru a new twist here, or maybe It's not new at all; I haven't read any fanfiction in a long time.

And away we go!

**Disclaimer:** Inu Yasha is not mine.

_Kagome fought her way through the swarthy miasma that threatened to swallow her whole. Her every footfall capturing the attention of the sickly green slime, she was slowly slipping in, but perhaps if she got to him in time..._

"_Inu Yasha," she vainly yelled; maybe he was not coming for her after all. She was alone, all her friends, gone, and she was to die a horrible death by quicksand. Kagome raised her foot to dismay that it was stuck, and after several unsuccessful attempts to free it, she found her other leg in the same situation. Reminding herself not to panic, Kagome calmly searched her mind for a solution to the problem, surely there was someway to escape quicksand. Her mind was blank. C'mon Kagome, think! If it's anytime to use that noggin of yours, it's now! _

"_What's the matter, Kagome?" The arrogant owner of the words appeared._

"_Inu Yasha you jerk, I was looking everywhere for you, and you were sitting there all along?" In truth, she was never happier seeing him, "help me out of here won't you? I'm a little...stuck." _

_He kept on grinning at her, until something else seemed to catch his attention from behind her. _

"_Hey, what're you looking at?" She turned her head, but she saw nothing, and when she looked at Inu Yasha again, he had straightened up and was walking towards her. "Well, finally," she mumbled, but he paid no heed to her words, and instead, walked past her. For an instance, Kagome was dumbfounded, where was he going, "H-hey, Inu Yasha?" She reached for his sleeve, but her arm could not reach, it too was absorbed into the ooze._

"_Inu Yasha, please!" Desperation ringed in her voice and her heart caught in her throat. She didn't understand, why was he doing this? _

_He finally halted and slowly turned her way again, a hint of a smile tugging at his lips, and she in turn breathed a sigh of relief, he was just pulling her leg ...but he just as suddenly faded into the shadows, and was gone. _

"_W-what?" she sputtered, her voice hoarse and obviously confused. Well, when your only ticket out of a hellhole deserts you... What was wrong with him? Why was he acting this way? Had he not seen her? But by now, the ooze had risen above her neck, its horrid stench suffocating her in a turbulence of hazy thoughts. There was only one objective in her mind now, to find him...and 'sit' him. _

_She tried to speak but felt choked, as if an invisible hand were squeezing her dry of her precious oxygen. Her misty eyes beheld the abomination once more, as Kikyou's wretched soul snatchers held her in place. On she watched as he broke her heart once more. His lips closed down upon Kikyou's, sealing their jarred fates and pasts into an autocratic whole. Her arms snaked behind him and they sank slowly into the earth, Kikyou was dragging him to hell._

"_Inu Yasha, please, wake up!" Kagome cried, struggling against her captives, was he deaf to her? _

"_Wake up, you idiot!" She thrashed at her bonds and finally freed, she ran to him, but it was too late, the two disappeared into the crater. Without a second's hesitation, she hastily plunged her fingers into the damp earth to dig him out, fingernails be damned! Gravel, worms, and clumps of dirt were scattered aside. He could not have...no, she had to tell him what he meant to her, how much she cared._

"Inu Yasha!" Jaken jerked awake to the human's cacophony, he had fallen asleep whilst keeping watch on the girl.

"Quiet your mouth, wretch, lest Jaken deal with it!" He threatened, waving his staff menacingly in her direction. All he needed now was punishment from Sesshomaru-sama for his ineptness.

_Her fingers eventually bloodied and her eyes already wringed dry, she gave up. 'I'm sorry; I really wanted to see the cherry blossoms with you'_

"Sesshomaru-sama, come quick, the human is coming to!" Jaken jumped up from his placement on the floor to scramble out of the room.

_Kagome laid sprawled on the soaked earth, so he finally left, he finally left with Kikyou. Good riddance, now she will finally be able to study for her tests, and finish all her homework. There will be no more disturbances or shard hunting expeditions from that idiot. She sniffed, wanting more than ever to see his stupid face again. She breathed in deeply; her hands were aching, maybe if she could rest for a while. Staring at her hands she nearly broke down again; how many times did she ponder on when he really was going to leave her? All the signs were there, the evidence laid in a stack that she refused to see. A mere travesty of the real thing; maybe she should have just stayed home, forgotten about the Shikon no tama, Kaede Shippou, Sango, Miroku and Inu Yasha...Damnit. _

"Sesshomaru-sama!" After several calls and his lord still did not beckon, he made the gamble,

"Sessho-omph," Jaken attempted again but the words died in his mouth as his master's foot pressed into his face.

_In Kagome's state of inertia, Sango immerged behind her and gave her a reassuring hug, "It'll be ok, Kagome." Words untrue but told only for comfort, and sometimes not even that, Kagome thought to herself._

_Kagome glanced up at her friend, Sango, you who have gone through so much more, how can you say such simple words when you know life just isn't that darned easy? _

_But Sango had disappeared and Miroku instead took her place beside Kagome. The usual smile that occupied his lips was replaced with a frown, and the sparkle in his eyes disappeared along with the seal for his hand; he looked much older than his twenty years. He was silent for a moment, "Loneliness, regrets, and fears, we all harbor them, lady Kagome, either they consume us, or we overcome them." _

"_Overcome them?" She turned to face him, but it was too late, he too faded into stygian. _

"_Kagome," A familiar voice chirped above her, "What are you doing here by yourself?" Underneath the god tree, back in the present time, when she was still a child. The light scent of cherry blossoms filled the air, and for a few precious weeks, the sky rained pink petals. She stood underneath the tree in her newest clothes, her hair tied into a too tight bun, and her neck itchy because of the troublesome kimono. _

_How many minutes had it been since mama told her to wait there while she answered the phone? Personally, she was amazed that her mother could even hear the Bring-Bring of their telephone from so far away, but her mother was special. Like the time she had gotten a scraped knee for running in the playground, and instead of scolding her, she wiped her tears away, and simply took out a bandage and told her to be careful next time. She eventually had a scar there, it isn't very noticeable, but if you looked real close..._

_What was taking mama so long anyway? Kagome shifted from one foot to another, and stared at the other kids skipping to the cherry blossom picnic, some of them she knew from school while others were strangers. But they all shared a familiarity though, everyone looked happy, and for a while who had what toy 'mom, brother's not sharing', didn't matter. For a while, it was okay to be carefree and relaxed. Just then the boy she liked from class B walked by and she had had enough, glancing once more at his retreat, she decided the time was past for waiting! She pulled up her kimono and ran into the house._

"_Mama, can we go now?" It was weird; the house was almost never this quiet, she wondered what had happened; maybe Mom went to the bathroom? Nope, she must still be talking on the phone; Kagome heard her quiet voice from the kitchen. _

_When she entered the room, she found her mother seated in the chair, staring at the refrigerator with the phone on the table. She looked different..., her face was pale, and her eyes glazed over. Was something the matter?_

"_Mama, are you sick, are you not feeling well?" She placed her tiny hands on her mother's forehead, feeling for any signs of fever, just what her mama did for her when she was sick. However, the forehead was cool, albeit a bit sweaty, Kagome lifted her hand away._

"_Kagome," her mother suddenly held her in a tight embrace, "I have some bad news to tell you," what kind of bad news? She could not say anything though; her face was covered in her mother's sweater._

"_Oh, Kagome, Papa's just been in a car accident..." What was so bad about that? They would just fix his broken bones and send him right back home like last time. _

"_So he can't come watch the cherry blossoms with us today?" _

"_I'm afraid he won't ever be coming back," Her mother sobbed, she couldn't actually see her mother's tears but she knew that her mama was crying anyways because her kimono was starting to feel damp. _

_It wasn't fair, papa was a careful driver, he told her himself! _

_Several weeks passed by after the funeral and Kagome was in the kitchen listening to the radio when the revelation sang," you could go once and come back, go twice and come back, but the third time..."_

"...but the third time they won't let you go..."

"What is this wench spouting?" Jaken ogled at the sleeping girl, "She must be delirious..." He turned his face upward at Sesshomaru, hoping that he would have an answer to this, but his master's face was placidly cool, his hard eyes trained only at the girl.

"_He left you again didn't he? Don't worry, he'll come back, he always comes back" Where was the voice coming from?_

Kagome slowly opened her eyes to a horrible green face. On impulse, her fist met the intruder.

"Pervert!"

"Aieee, Sesshomaru-sama I told you she was possessed!" croaked someone quite familiar.

Her vision refocused and she could now make out the bald green goblin (his strange hat was knocked aside) that was Sesshomaru's ward. Geez, why did she always have such unpleasant awakenings? Her head pounded, and she felt like she had just plunged into a vat of vegetable soup. Her hand reached up to massage her tempo when she noticed that her cheeks were a little damp. She had not been crying in her sleep had she?

"Don't scare me like that; you can kill somebody you know!" She said, wiping vigorously at her face before anyone could notice.

"You wake up Mortal and the first thing you do is hurt poor old Jaken, and now you dare say I scared you?" puffed the little green man as he rubbed his face. "Too bad you didn't die," somebody mumbled a little later on.

Kagome was glaring daggers at the owner of that comment when...

"Enough," a stern voice reverberated throughout the room. She dropped her hands, and stared at Him.

He _had_ noticed, but allowed her to cling to her last visages of dignity.

"Since you're awake now, I have something to show you," and just like that, he walked out of the room. Oh, how he irritated her, she could just...! Well, fighting him unarmed was impossible, and she did not know how to use her spiritual powers, so she contended with sticking her tongue at his back and followed. Then of course, Jaken tailed behind cursing loudly at his dealings with humans.

When they reached their destination, Sesshomaru stood aloof in the middle of the room, apparently gazing at something in front of him. Kagome slowly approached him and she saw placed upon a fine silk cushion, a transparent ball. This was no time for bowling, she thought. What had he summoned her here for; not likely was he going to tell her where Inu Yasha was, now that was most likely.

"Move out of the way," Jaken pompously whacked her legs with his staff, and stood before the ball and muttered some nonsense to Kagome's ears; of course, she did not pay too much attention, her poor legs were smarting now.

At last, when Jaken finished his incantations, he tapped the orb with his staff and the thing came alive with brilliant raw color. Primal red jostled with amethyst until the myriad of swirls settled a little later to a soft pink glow.

"Look," Sesshomaru said, barely audible.

Kagome stopped rubbing her legs and scheming for revenge for a moment to peer at the crystal orb, and she was transfixed. She utterly forgot about the injury and stepped closer in wonder and amazement, 'such a pretty color'. Her eyes followed the swarthy movements of the mist, weaving in and out of itself; she tentatively reached for the fog in spite of herself.

It was then that the swirls stopped and an image began to form...

He was dead, if not then where was that frigging stream of light coming from? Only thing was, hell couldn't be this comfortable, where was the fire and the pitchforks that Miroku promised? His eyes twitched, and that was a good sign, he was most likely alive. He slowly opened his eyes, and there was a ceiling...definitely not hell. 'Where am I? He felt amnesiac, what happened?

Let's see, first he and Kagome were sheltering in a hut, then Sesshomaru paid a visit, they got into a fight, and then he was left fending for himself when he was human **_and_** injured while Sesshomaru made off with Tetsuiga_ **and**_...

"Kagome...!" He immediately sat up and regretted it; he was still a little dizzy in the head but he had to find and rescue her before it was too late; Sesshomaru was no fan of humans. His sword, he needed his sword, but it was not on him, oh yes He took it. Well, sword or no sword, he had to get moving, who knew what the scum could be doing to Kagome right this instance?

He wobbly stood on his feet, clutching the wall for support and noticed that his kimono was gone; he scanned the room for it and found it drying by the hearth. He didn't trust himself to walk alone just yet, so the wall stood as his support for the time being. It was when he was dressing that he noticed that most of his wounds had healed, but he surely should have frozen in the storm. Who was it? Who would have through all this trouble to save his sorry hide?

However, he at least found out where he was. It appeared to be another little hut, there seemed to be so many of these just conveniently lying around. The source of the 'light' was the fire burning in the hearth. But where was the tender to the hearth, the person who saved him from sure death so he would have another chance to save Kagome? He wiggled his nose, content that it had reverted to its original state; he took a sniff, and recognized that O so familiar scent of death and grave-soil. His heart skipped a few beats and he dared not breathe fearful that it was a product of his imagination.

His ears twitched at the door, and as soon as his eyes followed, she materialized. It seemed that She had not expected him to wake so soon for her eyes grew round, and her eyebrows knitted together as if combating a great struggle within. The moment froze and while they stood only several feet apart, it was too many years away. Both were unable and unwilling to look away. _There was a time when they were happy..._ He felt his tongue working when a chilly gust of wind slipped through the entranceway and brought them back to reality. Kikyou was first to break the gaze and turn from him, as if any other such actions would weaken her resolve.

"...I thought you were dead when I reached you," she finally whispered.

He did not want to voice his question aloud, but he had to know the answer, had she changed her mind? "...why did you...?" His words trailed. _Maybe her thirst for vengeance ceased. _

"I...do not know why myself...," she interjected softly, clutching her arms tightly as if to ward off the ambient chill. She appeared so vulnerable and alone that he longed to reach out and stroke her soft tenuous strands of hair, embrace her and reassure her that he was with her and always would be. However, before he could act on that desire, she came to him instead with slow wavering steps. Every footfall lethargic, and a struggle; _was she not able to find the souls needed to sustain her body? _He watched as she slipped her arms around him and laid her face against his chest. She was close enough for him to remember the sweet scent of her hair, the warm touch of her hands and the gaiety of her voice, _but_ _so long ago..._ Despite himself, his own arms were around her then, his cheek resting on the crown of her head. If for just this moment, this one speck in time, he would hold on to her until every second was counted and gone. To see but not to have, we were never meant to be.

"Kikyou..."

_You smell of death... _

__

__

Sesshomaru could not have believed his luck when he found the soulless priestess with his half brother. Imagine the look on the girl when she saw this unveiled before her. Would the notorious tears descend from her lids? Better yet, perhaps the twinkles in her eyes would fade and dull. Such a pure power, such a pure soul, she would be the death of him yet; unless she went first, gone out of her mind by Inu Yasha's perfidy and right into His arms instead. The warmth blanketing Inu Yasha now absent, was his to use, _sweet blissful heat, how I have missed the feeling._

In the most subtle way, the corners of his lips ascended, and only Jaken was any the wiser, as his gasp jarred the silence occupying the room. Sesshomaru himself studied the girl with his steeled eyes, pride from a conquest emanated through his very pupils. A wisp of her ebony hair was out of place, and he fought the urge to smooth it back behind her delicate ears. Her soft pink lips were slightly ajar, as if waiting for a lover's kiss...but whom was he fooling, she was gasping for air, recoiling from the blow he had given her.

The moisture in her eyes threatened to spill over, tears, they were called, and he wanted to catch one in his fingertips, examine it like a fool and his gold, _and then..._

Before the thought could continue, the girl rubbed all evidence of grief from her eyes with her fists, and promptly stalked out of the room. The strangest of females... she appeared more miffed than saddened. Therefore, just like the fool, he followed, a squeal meeting his sharp ears in his haste, but he paid no heed, only she filled his mind.


End file.
